And speaking of Brazil!

What a wonderful coincidence! From the country to the surname!

As many of you will know yesterday I published a delightful story of how fisherman Joao Pereira de Souza, 71, who lives in an island village just outside Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [my italics] saved a penguin that then bonded with Joao.

So imagine my surprise when yesterday morning I read over on the Care2 website a story of a policeman, Officer Joe Brazil [my italics] who rescued a dog. I was compelled to republish that in full for your pleasure.

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Barefoot Policeman Saves Pup From Watery Danger

Every so often a photo shines light on a moment of heroism more than words ever could. This amazing image comes from Rhode Island resident Peggy Edwards who stayed on scene as a 911 call summoned help for a puppy trapped in a culvert.

The dog, now known to be Cece, had escaped from her Woonsocket home one day after arriving. Without her litter mates for the first time and unfamiliar with her new surroundings, Cece became frightened after slipping through a back door and being confronted by the great outdoors.

Cece ran all night and wasn’t spotted until the next afternoon. She was wandering down Alice Avenue when a passing car startled her further and she took refuge in a culvert. To further complicate the situation, Cece went quite far into the tunnel and soon found herself trying to cling to the edge as water flowing from a nearby brook lapped her body.

“She was stuck about 20-25 feet in and was clinging to the side,” Peggy Edwards explained. “We tried to help but were afraid of scaring her further in”

But when Officer Joe Brazil arrived on scene, he calmly took off his shoes and rolled up his pants. If Cece couldn’t come to him, he’d simply go to her.

“As I got closer, I could see Cece just clinging to the side and just shaking,” Brazil told NBC 10 News. “(The dog was) very, very frightened.”

Cece sniffed Brazil’s hand briefly and then allowed him to pick her up.

“It just seemed like she was almost saying thank you. Like she knew I was there to help,” Brazil said.

Cece’s owner, Michelle Perez, was deeply relieved to be reunited with her new family member.

“She’s only 5 months old. I wasn’t able to sleep,” Perez said. “All I kept doing was just driving around, calling her.”

And as for Officer Brazil, well, he is reportedly looking to adopt a dog of his own very soon.

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I shall be going nuts over the next few hours trying to think of a follow-on third story about Brazil! (Apologies: just could resist that!)